Everything Has Changed
by papershootingstars
Summary: Co-written by papershootingstars and Phemie. A new set of first years are at the School for Good and Evil, once again. This story is about Seluna, a reader from Gavaldon and Mia, an Italian princess. Set before The Tale Of Sophie and Agatha. Sorry, I'm rubbish at summaries but it is good. Please read, review, favourite and follow!
1. Seluna of Woods Beyond

**AN: Hi, this story is co-written with my friend, her username is Phemie. Please review both of us if you're reviewing. This is a new SGE story with different characters, set before The Tale of Sophie and Agatha. We hope you like it!**

Lights flashing red, red as blood. Between the flashes, Seluna could see herself as a tiny child holding a white rose. Flash. Then a hand was twining the rose through her hair. Flash. Then she was older, perhaps seven or eight. Flash. She was staring at the open page of a fairytale book. There was a prince and princess kissing. True love's kiss, and The End was written underneath it. Flash. "I think I'm in love." Flash. "He's using you." Flash. Seluna's blood on the cobblestones. Flash. Once beautiful green eyes dulling to obsidian black, a colour so sharp it could draw blood. Black swallowing Seluna up, so it was all she could see. She was drowning in it. Then a white swan flew across her vision and something new began.

Seluna awoke from the dream at exactly three o'clock, as she did every night. The dream was always the same, and always different. Seluna turned over, she needed to fall back to sleep.

As she walked down to the square, Seluna took in the frantic parents, muddying children and making them kick cats or smile at the elderly. She new it was in vain. Each year the parents of Gaveldon tried to counter their children's deeds by muddying the good's faces or making the evil hand out cakes to the less fortunate.

Each year two children were taken, regardless of how muddy their face and clothes were or how many cakes they had handed out. Two children would go this year too. Besides, she thought, the chances of _her_ being taken were slim. She was once a bright, cheerful girl. Always on the lookout for someone to help. But now she kept to herself. Seluna used to believe in kindness and honesty. She used to want to make her life make a difference. But then she discovered what betrayal was. She shuddered at the memory and pushed it down. She never tried to make friends. After all, if you don't let them in, they can't hurt you.

Well, one thing was certain. Ade would be taken for evil. Slimy, putrid Ade. Seluna's only wish was that tomorrow she wouldn't be within spitting distance of that slug. Ade was hated by any girl with half a brain in her head, but by Seluna more than anyone. The problem was, she _knew_ him. Better than she wanted to. She could see through his tricks and his pretences. If he's nice sometimes, and evil others, that just made him all the more evil.

Seluna waited in the shadows. Verra was with Ade, and Seluna didn't fancy barging in on that meeting. Seluna's best friend was one of the girls in Gavaldon who didn't have half a brain in her head. Verra and Ade were best friends. Seluna spotted them outside Verra's house, talking. Ade was as repulsive as always, Verra's pretty, heart shaped face tilted up to look at him, intent on his every word. They hugged. Seluna swallowed the sick feeling in her throat.

Verra stayed outside until Ade was long gone. Seluna rose from her crouch.  
>"Verra."<br>"Hi Sel."  
>"You know Ade will be taken."<br>"I don't know that for sure. He's really quite ni-"  
>"He's using you."<br>Verra winced, "No time for niceties today?"  
>"Everyone thinks that you'll be put in Good."<br>"They're wrong. I'm friends with Ade, remember?"  
>"He's your good deed."<br>"You know me well enough by now. I'll be in be in my own bed tomorrow morning."  
>"Verra..."<br>"I know. Everything will be different tomorrow. Ade won't be able to touch either of us."  
>"You really have no idea what he did to me, do you?"<br>"I don't understand Ade. But I understand you."  
>"Really?"<br>"You're so selfless, Seluna. You're beautiful and caring. But you hide your face behind your hair, scared that someone will knock you down if you expose it to the light. If I were to be taken tonight, I would miss you." Verra surprised Seluna by enveloping her in a hug. It was only Ade that had kept them apart in the last few months, thought Seluna. Still, maybe their friendship wasn't meant to be. Our lives are separating now, anyway, she thought. Seluna had no idea how right she was.

When Seluna went to sleep that night, she thought she saw a shadow flitting across her window...


	2. Mia of Sperenza

**AN: Hey guys, we have finally got the next chapter up! :D I kind of realised that I was supposed to put this up ages ago. Oops. The story is also on Phemie's account, her username is just "Phemie" so you can all review/favourite/follow her so you get the updates if she posts them first. Hope you love this chapter, very important: it introduces a new character. Enjoy! **

"Have you got all your stuff packed dear?" asked Queen Filadoro.  
>"Oh, yes mother," said Mia as her mind snapped back to the present.<br>"And you have your Flower Ground ticket?" the queen inquired.  
>"Yes mother. There is no need to make such a fuss," Mia stated in a monotone.<br>"Well finish your supper, get into your evening gown and come down for your leaving gathering in the sitting room."  
>"Yes mother," Mia sighed. The royal family of Speranza finished their supper without one more word.<p>

Mia padded to her quarters and flung herself on her bed. Her mother was always worrying. Her father was more lenient but her brother was a downright pain. She was quite relieved, yet quite distraught, that she would be leaving them tomorrow to go to the School for Good and Evil. Of course she didn't have to worry about failing. If her family so much as thought she would fail and endure some sort of unthinkable horror they would appeal for her to be removed from the school. She pitied those who weren't so lucky.  
>"Oh well," she sighed to herself. "I should probably finish packing."<p>

Not long after Mia walked lazily down the stairs to the sitting room. Her mother sat laughing with her father, golden hair flowing in waves. Her dress was a magnificent burnt orange that got darker the further down you went so it gave the illusion that her hair and dress were one. Mia had not inherited her mother's looks. Her dark hair that fell about her spotlessly white face was the anthesis of Filadoro's.

Her parents turned and smiled at Mia.  
>"Do join us," her mother said. "Your grandmother is coming shortly. I shall send a maid to fetch your brother."<br>Mia sat cautiously. Her parents continued as if she weren't their and before long her brother appeared. "Marco, come here!" Mia beckoned. Her brother sighed and sat beside her. "You're so embarrassing Mia!" He exclaimed. "Hey none of your friends are here! How can I possibly be embarrassing you?!" Mia teased. "You just are!" her brother moaned.  
>Mia frowned and walked over to a mahogany cabinet and turned a bronze key in the lock. She pulled open the door and brought out a box.<br>She stared at its rich colour and the gold plated engraving of her family crest. Mia took the box to where her brother was sitting, opened it and took out a wooden board. She placed it on the ground. She reached into a small compartment that was impossible to spot unless you knew it was there and pulled out some carved figures. The side of her finger grazed the deep red velvet and she shuddered at the uncomfortable feeling. Mia carefully set out the pieces on the board. Ebony on one side, ivory on the other. Once the pieces were perfectly aligned she moved the box to the side and smiled at her brother.  
>"Let's play one last game of chess Marco. For old times sake."<br>"If you wish," he feigned indifference, but really he was touched.  
>They played for a while, their parents watching them in content silence.<br>"Will you take the chess board with you?" asked Marco.  
>"You should keep it. I'm sure I will be able to get another one."<p>

Later, an old woman in a thick plum dress and white, fur lined cloak arrived. The "one last game" had turned into "one last tournament". The old woman laughed at the sight before her.  
>"Well, I see you two are as competitive as ever!" the woman chuckled.<br>"Grandmother!" the children cried in unison.  
>"Well hello my grandchildren!" Their grandmother said.<br>Mia escorted her grandmother to her seat by the fire.  
>"Hello mother," Filadoro smiled.<br>"Hello dear," her mother said in passing.  
>"Well Mia I hear you have a big day ahead of you!"<br>"Yes Grandmother," Mia laughed.  
>"I have my first day at the School for Good!"<br>"Ah yes! I knew there was a reason I had brought you presents!" Her grandmother joked.  
>Slowly the woman pulled a satchel from her bag.<br>She pulled out a leather bound book with the words "The Complete Collection of Fairy Tales" written in italics on the front.  
>"It updates itself," her grandmother said. "New stories all the time. Every time a fairy tale is finished. Every fairy tale since the War," her grandmother went quite for a moment. Next she pulled out a large, soft and oddly shaped package and small box with the family coat of arms engraved on it. "I won't tell you what it is yet but open it for the Snow Ball. And that box is an enchanted music box. Don't open that yet either."<br>Finally her grandmother brought out an oddly familiar box.  
>"Your chess set!" Mia exclaimed.<br>"Chess, checkers and draughts!" her grandmother added.  
>"Well Lucinda that is quite a lot!" the king exclaimed.<br>"Oh, nonsense Fiero!" Lucinda cried. "This may well be the last time I see my darling granddaughter!"  
>"That is quite enough mother!" Filadoro shouted, angry. The king and queen wanted minimum fuss over their daughter's departure, for Mia's sake.<br>"It's alright Grandmother. I'll be here in my Ever After." Lucinda nodded kindly. Everyone had the suspicion in their minds that Lucinda might not live to see the end of Mia's fairytale.  
>"Here dear open our gift," Filadoro said quietly.<br>Mia opened it slowly.  
>Another leather bound book, but not one of fairy tales. She opened it. It was filled with watercolour paintings of the Palace of Speranza and it's family. "It's a scrap book dear. You can use it when you're homesick and add things in. You just need to dip the paintbrush inside the spine into water and imagine what you want to see as you brush it onto the page!" her mother cried in excitement. "Thank you all for your wonderful gifts," Mia muttered. Her grandmothers words had hit her hard. She stayed long after everyone left, only leaving to pack her presents into her bag.<br>Four hours later, when the autumn sun had long since disappeared and the moon had secured a place in the dark sky, Mia fell asleep in front of the fireplace in the sitting room, clutching her book of fairy tales. She dreamt of her grandmother, of a school she had never seen and a future as bright as the sun. A future she could only begin to imagine…


	3. A dream Or is it?

**AN: Hey everyone! Phemie and I had some issues with this; but we've fixed them now and the story will hopefully be up on her account too soon! We are, I think, working on Chapter 4 for you guys, but we have lots of technical shit to take care of when posting this so that's why it sometimes takes forever. Feel free to review, I haven't got any on this account so far so it would be nice to get a few. Thanks for reading! :)**

* * *

><p>The world was indistinct shadows. Seluna was being dragged from her room. She new that she was being dragged, because she could feel the touch of something alien on her skin. But even that knowledge was deceptive, because it felt more like flying. Flying at light speed. Seluna knew what was happening. She also knew that it <em>couldn't<em> be happening. Not to her. This was a dream, she thought, yet another of her subconscious' crazy make believes. Seluna blinked her eyes very very fast. Flashes. As usual. And there was the red coming, a bright circle lightening as it spread outwards. A sunset. In her dream she was being taken to the School, she realised. Seluna wished Gavaldon goodbye.  
>"Goodbye, mother and father. Goodbye bookstore, butchers, bakery. Goodbye, Verra's house. I'm off to become a beautiful princess." Seluna smiled as the woods began to close around her. This dream was turning out better than she thought. She was pulled through the woods, her feet dragging in dead leaves. She came to a sudden stop at the foot of a tall evergreen. Fir, she thought. It didn't really matter. It was just a dream after all. What happened after was a blur. She felt branches move around her and needles poke her fair skin. The next thing she saw was the forest moving beneath her as sunlight began breaking though the clouds. The dream would be over soon. She knew it. Finally as the woods disappeared behind her she was aware of another body beside her. As she turned to look she felt a flip and she screamed in shock as claws caught her in their grip. A more masculine scream came from her left but before she could register it she fell.<p>

Seluna was flying through the air. It rushed through her and whistled in her ears. Her hair and nightgown flowed around her as she cut through the cool autumn air in the first rays of sun. She spread her arms, mimicking wings. Her breathing was calm despite her free falling form. Her dream would be over soon. She could feel it. She embraced it. Just as her body was enveloped in the cool, clear water did she truly awaken. It was in that moment of waking she realised she wasn't dreaming at all.

She panicked. Where was she? Could she really be at the school? She opened her eyes but they were clogged with water, she couldn't see. Seluna shut them again quickly.

_You're so selfless, Seluna. You're beautiful and caring._ It was a mere echo in Seluna's brain, who had said that? Verra. Yes, Verra had said that yesterday. Seluna smiled. Ade would be here, on the other side, at Evil. So Verra was safe. Verra could be happy. Seluna had little regard left for her own fate; she doubted she could flourish in the School for Good. Being a princess was once her childhood dream, but no longer. If I am to suffer here, so be it, she thought. Ade would be in a completely different school so Seluna could surely, not have any serious problems. Her mind registered her lungs crus for air. They burned in her chest. Air. She needed air. Seluna pushed up. At least she hoped it was up. She pushed and pushed, resisting the urge to breathe and choke on the beautiful, deadly water. Just as she was about to give in to the burning her head broke the surface. She heaved in clean air, opened her eyes and briefly took in her surroundings. Seluna swam to the shore of Good. Her hands met the glistening green grass and she pushed her body out of the crystalline water. She stood up and pushed her damp blonde hair out of her face. She looked around. She was really here. She was really at the School for Good. She looked up at the castle only to find 118 eyes looking at her. She stared bemused at 59 beautiful princesses and 59 stared back at her. One of them opened her mouth and spoke but Seluna's ears didn't listen. "What?" she asked. The girl sighed, smiled and opened her mouth.


	4. Charity 41

**AN: Hey guys, here's the update. Can I urge you guys to check out the story on Phemie's account. Please review, also I got a PM about the story a few days ago, and I just wanted to say I'm always open on PM for criticism, compliments, or just if you want a chat. Finally, something that doesn't concern SGE. I've been thinking that my username is a bit of a mouthful and a tiny bit childish. I'm considering changing it to Tigeresss, but no decisions have been made yet. Phemie thinks I shouldn't because it might cause confusion, what do you guys say? Thanks for reading!**

**Love from Steph xxx**

Chapter 4

The girl once again opened her mouth "Are you quite alright?" She asked. There was no malice in her tone. I fact she sounded quite concerned.  
>"We saw your fall. You were under for a while. Are you feeling faint? Do you need any help?"<br>"What? No! No, I mean I'm fine the bird thing dropped me in and I thought it was just a dream because there's no way I could actually be here. It's impossible that I could be here. In fact I might actually be dreaming. It doesn't feel like a dream thou-"  
>"That would probably be because it isn't!" the girl laughed. "Do you remember your name?"<br>"Y-yes."  
>"Well? What is it?"<br>"Oh, it's Seluna."  
>"Well, Seluna, that was quite a fall. You must be absolutely soaking too. Here wait a minute," the girl started rummaging around a large wooden trunk with a gold crest. "Here we go!" She said, pulling out a thick cloak made of a material Seluna had never seen before. "Um... Thanks," Seluna murmured.<br>"No problem!" The girl exclaimed. "I'm Princess Mia of Speranza by the way."  
>Fairies had began to swarm the girls and nymphs were beckoning them inside. "Well, must be going now. I hope we can be friends!" the girl- Mia- called as a nymph took her bag and she smiled. She seemed to smile a lot. Seluna sighed and walked, sopping wet, into the magnificent castle in front of her.<br>The halls of Good shone with an ethereal glow. Nymphs where hanging up portraits of girls and boys on the wall. Seluna walked over and stared at the wall. A nymph hung her portrait next to the girl who gave her the cloak. She began hammering another nail next to it. Seluna looked along the wall and saw hundreds of portraits just like hers. Next to the portraits were paintings depicting scenes from fairytale books. Each of the older portraits had a different frame. Gold, silver, bronze. Princesses and princes, maids and Wizards, unicorns and mice. Even pumpkins! And at the bottom of the wall, dusty and neglected were small wooden frames depicting students with the word FAILED under their names in red lettering. There were no after pictures to these portraits. A chill went up Seluna's spine. Seluna was broken out of her thoughts when a nymph handed her a basket. She peered inside and pulled out a pile of books, held together by a silk ribbon. Seluna read the titles on the spine: "The Privilege of Beauty", "Winning Your Prince", "The Recipe Book for Good Looks", "Princess with a Purpose", "Animal Speech 1: Barks, Neighs, & Chirps" and finally "A Student's History of the Woods". On top of the books was a slip of thick parchment with smooth, swirling calligraphy reading:

Seluna of Woods Beyond  
>GOOD, 1st Year<br>Charity Tower 41  
>Session Faculty<br>1: History of Heroism Prof. August Sader  
>2: Animal Communication Princess Uma<br>3: Beautification Prof. Emma Anemone  
>4: Good Deeds Prof. Clarissa Dovey<br>5: Lunch  
>6: Princess Etiquette Pollux<br>7: Surviving Fairy Tales (Forest Group #12) Faun the Lily Nymph

Under the books was a folded pink pinafore and a blouse. "Charity 4,1?" A familiar voice chimed. "Anyone?" Three hands shot up. "Here!" One called. All over the room girls started to call their room numbers. Charity 4,1. It seemed familiar. Seluna checked her page again. Charity 4,1. Charity 4,1! That was her room. Seluna made her way over to the group of girls who were to be her roommates. "Hi I'm Charity 4,1," she said quietly.  
>"Oh great!" Mia exclaimed. "Well we should all get to know each other! We'll state our names, kingdoms and our favourite colours and fairy tales. Just to get started! I'll go first. I am Princess Mia of the Kingdom of Speranza, my favourite fairytale is my parents' story- The Dove- and my favourite colour is Midnight Blue! Now you guys go."<br>"My name is Josephine-Anne-Helene. I am the princess of Boskiv and my favourite fairy tale is The Ugly Duckling because a mogrif that finds a happy ending is just as good as a hero that finds a happy ending and my favourite colour is lilac," pipped up a slightly small blonde girl. "It's nice to meet you all," she smiled.  
>"I'm Sarabetta and I'm the princess of Dameera. My favourite colour is aqua," said a cheery tall brunette.<br>"I'm Seluna of Woods Beyond. I don't have a royal title. My favourite colour is lavender and my favourite fairytale is Sleeping Beauty," Seluna finally said.  
>"See! We all know each other so much better now!" Mia said happily. She really was lovely, Seluna thought. She was beautiful and kind and she always seemed happy. Seluna had the sense, however, that Mia probably had a darker, more ruthless edge concealed beneath the exterior. Seluna had always been a good judge of character, and something in Mia made her think she was bone tough.<br>The girls chatted about nothing and everything for a while until dozens of men and women came down the grand staircases dressed in hues Seluna didn't even know existed. A woman in a chanteuse dress with grey hair stopped and spoke. Her voice radiated through the hall. "Hello students! It is wonderful to see the smiling faces of Good's next victors here today. You will be going into the Theatre of Tales momentarily which our school proudly houses. I hope you will set a good example to your Never peers. Thank you Evers," And with that the nymphs hustled the girls into the hall.  
>They took their seats and waited for something to happen. The door opposite the one through which the girls had entered was shoved open and banged against the wall. A crowd of filthy, grimacing Nevers in black saggy uniforms came in, booing the Evergirls. Seluna stared silently and picked out Ade from the crowd of hideous Nevers. He was as foul as always. He saw her staring and smiled menacingly at her. She shuddered. What that could possibly mean didn't bear thinking about. Mia had caught her looking and picked up on her darkened expression. "Are you OK Seluna? You look like you've seen a ghost!" She whispered.<br>"Yeah, I'm OK. I've just seen someone I would rather not see ever again in my entire life,"  
>"Oh. If you like I can stick with you. I think we have the same timetable. And the girls and I will stick with you at lunch. We promise."<br>"Thanks Mia," Seluna smiled sadly.  
>"Josephine-Anne-Helene what do you have on your timetable?" Mia whispered<br>"Princess Etiquette, Beautification, History of Heroism, Animal Communication, Lunch, Good Deeds then Surviving Fairy Tales Group 12. You?"  
>"Seluna and I have History of Heroism, Animal Communication, Beautification, Good Deeds, Lunch, Princess Etiquette and then Surviving Fairy Tales Group 12."<br>"Hang on let me ask Sarabetta," said Josephine-Anne-Helene. She turned to Sarabetta and then back to Mia. "Same as you two," she said downheartedly. "I have none of you in my class!" She cried.  
>"We're in the same Surviving Fairytales group though!" Mia exclaimed.<br>"Cheer up Josephine-Anne-Helene!" Said Seluna comfortingly.  
>"Just call me Joanne. Josephine-Anne-Helene is a bit of a mouthful. It sounds a bit silly to say."<br>"Cheer up Joanne!" Seluna giggled.  
>Their chat was interrupted when Good's doors swung open and Everboys ran in sword fighting, all of them moving dextrously. They were all handsome and glistening with sweat. Seluna couldn't take her eyes off them. The boys in Gavaldon had all been boring, but these boys had muscular arms and chiseled features. She wasn't the only wide eyed Evergirl staring at them. They all disarmed each other until a single champion remained. He was gorgeous. He had tan skin, golden hair and by the look of his perfect body he was athletic. Seluna, and all the other girls, were swooning. The boys took roses out of their tunics and threw them into the pews of Evergirls. Seluna closed her eyes, afraid of the thorns and felt something land in her palm.<p> 


	5. The Not so Welcoming Welcoming Leaders

**AN: Hey guys! You might have caught this update on Phemie's account last night. Now you get to find out who threw the rose! I'll give you the inside scoop: I'm probably going to be writing most of the love scenes when it comes to Seluna and Cole. Oops, I didn't just do that, did I? I noticed that on Phemie's account she has 12 reviews and I have 3 :( So if you guys want to leave any thoughts... Phemie, I'm not saying this is a competition and I love you, so it's cool. We have lots of exams coming up soon, so updates will be infrequent at the best and non-existent at the worst. I love you guys and thanks for reading! :)**

Seluna stared at her palm, or rather, what was in it.

A single rose, petals as red as blood, was sitting against her damp skin. Closing her fingers delicately around it she brought it to her nose and inhaled it's sweet fragrance. This rose was not unlike the tulips that grew at the side of Gavaldon's dirt paths however it was radiant by comparison. When held against the scent of this rose, those tulips were odourless.

Desperate to find the thrower of the rose, Seluna's eyes darted frantically over the group of boys. They landed on a blonde boy, grinning cheekily at her. Much to her discomfort, Seluna's cheeks had turned a bright red. Mia took a break from giggling at a boy pulling faces at her (and, as unladylike as it was, pulling faces back) to point this out, saying she might have well have put rose petals on her cheeks. Seluna turned away from the boy to survey her surroundings. Evergirls were swooning, Everboys showing off and Nevers grimacing.

"Get over yourselves pretty boys!" A rough voice yelled. This was met by shouts of approval from the Nevers. The Everboys bowed mockingly at the Nevers before taking there seats.

A two headed dog climbed onstage. One head was cute, more like a bunny than a dog, with a pink button nose and glistening eyes. The other was snarling and vicious, saline dripping from its bared teeth "Welcome, children, to the School for Good and Evil," the cute head said. "I am Pollux, Welcoming Leader,"

"AND I'M CASTOR, WELCOMING LEADER ASSISTANT AND EXECUTIVE EXECUTIONER OF PUNISHMENT FOR ANYONE WHO BREAKSTHE RULES OR ACTS LIKE AN ASS!" the fearsome head boomed.

"Castor, what have I told you about using such language?!" Pollux gasped.

"FINE! EXECUTIVE EXECUTIONER OF PUNISHMENT FOR ANYONE THAT BREAKS THE RULES OR ACTS LIKE A DONKEY!" Castor corrected. "BETTER?"

"Much, thank you," Pollux. "So, onto why you're here. All children are born with souls that are either good or evil, albeit some souls are" purer than othe-"

"-AND SOME SOULS ARE CRAP!" Castor bellowed.

"CASTOR! What have I told you about cursing?!" Pollux screamed.

"I DON'T CARE!" Castor screeched.

"You are an utter disgrace! How on earth we are related I have no idea!" Polluxexploded.

"Anyway," Pollux said, suddenly calm, "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted,"

Pollux went on to list rules which Seluna ignored. She was too busy staring at that boy. It wasn't until Mia prodded her ribs that she finally decided to pay attention.

"Listen! This bit is important!"

Indeed it was. Pollux went on to explain how rankings worked how people fail (with more than a few interruptions from Castor). Fail? She could fail? Be ranked in the top third, become a Leader and embark into a dangerous fairy tale with treasures at the end(and if current events continued the way they were, it carried a very low risk of dying), become a Follower, dutifully helping those ranked above her, possibly dying, be ranked in the lowest third and become an animal or plant to be thrown away when her purpose was fulfilled or fail and meet with a fate worse than death. She was too busy anxiously chewing her nails to listen to much else.

"Oh, drat!" Mia gasped. "I'm in Forest Group 9! I'm not with you guys,"

"You're with me in every other subject though!" Seluna said.

"Yeah! And we're all in the same lunch class," Sarabetta joked.

"I'm in one class with you guys and it's surviving fairytales and you're not even in that group!" Joanne wailed.

"Let's just unpack before we do anything," Sarabetta said. "We have dinner soon."

"I, um, don't have anything to unpack," Seluna admitted.

"What? Not even nightgowns?" Joanne asked.

"You can share our stuff Sel," Mia offered.

"Sel?" Seluna pondered.

"Yeah, short for Seluna!" Mia said.

"Right. OK. Sel. I like that. Sel," Seluna said.

The girls unpacked their bags and chatted until the dinner bell rang. As they left their room Seluna stopped Mia.

"What were the rules that I missed?"

"Ugh! Sel, I told you to listen!"

"I got distracted!"

"By a boy."

"Please, I don't want to get punished or failed!"

"Fine! I'll keep an eye on you and I'll stop you from doing stupid stuff that could get you killed or failed for, which is worse apparently,"

"Thanks Mia, you're a good friend,"

"Bloody, glorified babysitter is what it is more like." Mia teased.

Arm in arm, the girls set off down the stairs laughing together.


	6. The H is Silent

**AN: Hi guys! It's me Phemie. I posted last time and I posted the wrong chapter by mistake. Steph just got back from holiday and she's really tired. She didn't have very good WiFi so I was posting but I failed her. I failed her and I failed all of you and I failed my self. Anyway, speaking of failures some people have been asking about how our exams went. They were great. I was better. Steph is going to kill me for that. You may have already read this on my account but refresh your memory here because I'm about half way through the next chapter so it'll either be up tomorrow or Monday. Book 3 comes out on Monday! I've pre-ordered it and if it's late I swear to god, I'll be very angry and Amazon will know it. I don't mess around when it comes to SGE.**

The girls of Charity 41 were awakened by the ringing of of bells. The rather loud ringing of bells.

"Will someone shut those damn things up?!" Mia groaned as she slammed her pillow onto her head and around her ears, muffling, although regrettably not eradicating, the noise. After five minutes of this torture, Mia had had enough. She removed the pillow from behind her head, stumbled past her bleary eyed roommates and stuck her head out the window. "Stop that infernal din or I swear on the Storian, I will come up there and make you!" she yelled. As if to show they wasn't happy with that arrangement the bells started ringing louder and faster than before. "Well done, Mia" Joanne mumbled sleepily.

"That's it." Mia announced. She stormed towards the door, swung it open and stepped out the room with a look of purpose etched upon her face. As her foot crossed the threshold of the room the bells stopped. "And you better stay that way!" Mia yelled towards the ceiling. "Bloody bells."

"Well Mia has some unresolved issues." Seluna teased.

"No, Mia has a line and a dreadful cacophony first thing in the morning is not on the right side of it."

"We should get up though."Sarabetta said.

"Oh, I'm up alright, those bells made sure of that." Mia grumbled as she waked towards the wardrobe between her bed and the window.

"Okay, I'm clean and dressed and so are you lot by the looks of things. Lets go down to breakfast."

"We have more urgent matters Mia." Seluna said, gesturing to a drawer filled with creams and lotions.

"Oh, no. No, no, no, no ,no. You are _not_ skipping breakfast to put makeup on." Mia stated flatly. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You are not missing it on the first day of classes. You'll starve."

"Just a little bit." Joanne said.

"I'm almost done." Sarabetta pleaded.

"Who needs breakfast anyway?" Seluna asked.

" Everyone. That's who."

"It was a hypothetical question, Mia."

"Well, hypothetically, if you don't eat breakfast you're stomach will rumble in class. That isn't very attractive."

This was met with a shrug. "You could be too hungry to pay attention."

"We can catch up later."

"You could get ranked in the bottom third and become a mogrif."

"It's one day! Besides, I could live as a bunny."

"You could be so hungry that you are rendered completely _incompetent_ and you fail three challenges in a row and FAIL! And no amount of makeup will make that look good."

" I wonder what breakfast is." Joanne mused nervously.

"Yay, yay, yay for the most important meal of the day!" Sarabetta sang worridly.

"The makeup will still be here when we get back." Seluna stated as she walked out the door.

Seluna gazed across the hall at the gorgeous mystery boy from the Welcoming. His bright blonde hair was obviosly gelled and, she surprised herself y finding that she liked it. But, then again, any haircut would look good with a face like that. His fierce blue eyes sparkled with laughter as he joked with the other Everboys. "Mia?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes?" Mia said happily as she cut her sausage into pieces. "You should try the sausage, it's amazing!' she squealed moving a piece onto Seluna's plate. Seluna ate it absentmindedly. "This is fantastic! What is it?" Seluna asked, astounded.

"Venison"

"It's good. Anyway, Mia, who is that prince over there?"

"You're going to have to be a tad more specific Sel. There are a lot of princes in here."

"The blonde one."

"The one I was joking with during the Welcoming or the one you were staring at during the Welcoming?"

"I was not staring!" Seluna protested. "But yeah, the one I was staring at during the Welcoming.""

"He's Cole of Tonham. The "H" is silent."

"What "H"?

"Exactly."

"Exactly, what?"

"You didn't hear the "H" because it's silent."

"Oh."Seluna said. Mia turned her focus back to her breakfast.

Cole was laughing and his smile lit up his whole face. No, Seluna thought. His smile lit up the whole room.

"Stop staring at Silent H and eat your eggs." Mia said without looking up from her plate.

"How do you know I'm staring?" Seluna inquired.

"I didn't. I made an educated guess."

Their first class of the day was History of Heroism with Professor Sader. Seluna, Mia and Sarabetta bid farewell to Joanne who's first class was Beautification. "Bye Joanne, we'll see you at lunch." Mia said and wrapped Joanne in a hug. As Joanne went to Beautification the others walked to History of Heroism. They found three seats in one of the middle rows and sat down. A man in a shamrock green suit was standing at the front of the class smiling at the students. Before long the class had filled up. "Okay, I'm going to say your name and you're going to say here.

Amelia of Pontsie?"

"Here."

"Again, Amelia?"

"Here."

"Thank you. Cornelia of Deransa?

"Here.""Again, Cornelia?"

"Here."

"Thank you. Cole of Tonham?"

"Here." Seluna turned towards the sound and saw Cole sitting with his friends. Crap. She was thinking about him too much; that could be dangerous.

"Again, Cole?"

"Here."

Seluna didn't pay much attention after that until she heard Mia speak. "Here."

"Again, Mia?"

"Here."

"Thank you. Pascal of Pasha Dunes?"

"Here."

"Again Pascal?"

"Here."

"Thank you. Rupert of Ginnywell?"

"Here."

"Again Rupert?"

"Here."

"Thank you. Renee of Salmerra?

"Here."

"Again, Renee?"

'Here."

"Thank you. Sarabetta of Dameera?

"Here."

"Again, Sarabetta?"

"Here."

"Thank You. Seluna of Woods Beyond?"

"Here."

"Again, Seluna?"

"Here."

"Thank you. Tania of Fienta?"

After a while he finally came to the last name n the list.

"Thank you. William of Wicomfield?"

"Here."

Mia looked back and grinned mischievously at the boy from the Welcoming.

"Again, William?"

"Here."

"Thank you. Well, now that I've got a good idea of where you all are, let us begin. For those of you who have not yet noticed, I am blind. Please do make sure as to speak clearly when talking. I will not answer any questions you have inside or outside the classroom. You will find all the answers you need in your text book, A Student's History of the Woods. Please turn to chapter one, Balance in the Woods."

"So, how do you know William?" Seluna inquired.

"We've known eachother since before we were born. We were a pair of adorable menaces growing up. Two peas in a pod, double trouble, devious duo. If you've heard of it then we've been called it." Mia explained.

"Cuties."

Mia giggled. "Come on, lets go to Animal Comminication."

So the girls skipped down with the rest of their class to where Princess Uma sat with a small bird on her finger.

"Teehee. Oh, hello girls." Uma wisped. She had an air of lightness around her. An air of calm, innocence. "I am Princess Uma, your teacher for Animal Comunication. You will see that you have been mixed with another class of girls to make 20 as the boys of your classes are currently learning Swordplay."

"Heaven forbid we need to defend ourselves." Mia muttered.

"In Animal Communication you shall learn the delicate art of communicating with the animals of the forest, our allies. Please line up."

Seluna's eyes scanned the clearing, searching for Joanne. After a few moments her eyes landed on the small blonde making her way towards her.

"Hi, Seluna, Sarabetta. I'm so happy to be with you guys again but, uh, where's Mia?"

"Huh, she was here a second ag- AGH!" Seluna jumped as Mia grabbed her shoulders from behind and pushed herself up on them. "Elders be damned, Mia, you practically gave me a heart attack!" Mia just laughed.

"It's fun! You should try it. You just run up, place your hands on my shoulder's and launch yourself skyward. It's like flying but more exhilarating."

"Alright ladies, simmer down. Today we are going to be using Wish Fish. You simply put your finger in the water, like so," Uma demonstrated "and the fish will transform into your heart's deepest desire." The fish congregated around Uma's finger and became a suitcase. She stroked its leather surface and stared at it wistfully before returning it to the pond from whence is came where it resumed its previous form. As she stood up she spotted a crimson butterfly fluttering above.

"Oh, aren't you far from home? A little red butterfly amungst all this blue. How did you get here little one?"

If the butterfly answered then Princess Uma wasn't planning on sharing it with the group. "Well, who's first?"

A blonde girl, Melody, went up first, although Seluna didn't pay much attention. Her heart's deepest desire? Her heart's deepest desire right now was for the Wish Fish not to display Cole's face for all to see. She bit her nails nervously until Mia awoke her from her trance to tell her it was her turn. _Oh, please don't be Cole_, please don't be Cole, Seluna thought as she walked slowly to the pool. Hesitantly, Seluna dipped her index finger into the crystal clear water and screwed her eyes shut. When she next opened them the image of a prince, no, a god, lay before her. His golden hair seemed to glow brighter than normal and his beautiful blue eyes were clearer than the water around his angelic face. She gazed, entranced as she experienced a Happily Ever After in that one moment.

"Next!" Princess Uma called happily and another girl took her place at the pool.


End file.
